Twenty-seven students from the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Arabian Gulf University concluded an 11-day academic trip to ESSEC Business School in Paris, France, as part of the academic partnership between the two universities, which aims to enhance students’ international experiences and develop their leadership and management skills in line with the latest global practices.
The group included students from the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Kuwait, as part of the 14th student visit organized by the university in collaboration with ESSEC Business School, within an integrated academic program that allowed students to study three core courses from the master’s program curriculum on the school’s Paris campus, in addition to participating in educational activities and field visits to leading economic institutions.
The program included a visit to “Station F,” the world’s largest startup hub and one of Europe’s leading centers for innovation and entrepreneurship—particularly in the field of artificial intelligence—where students had the opportunity to learn about the startup ecosystem, explore environments of innovation and entrepreneurship, and examine modern business models.
This visit builds on the academic collaboration between Arabian Gulf University and ESSEC Business School, with which the university has been partnering to offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program since 2012, enabling students to combine academic training with an international educational experience. ESSEC College ranks 24th globally in the Financial Times’ 2026 rankings of MBA programs, according to information provided by the program.
On this occasion, Prof. Dr. Walid Khalil Zubari, Dean of the College of Education, Administrative and Technical Sciences at Arabian Gulf University, expressed his support for this initiative, praising the high-quality educational programs that contribute to enhancing students’ experiences and broadening their international horizons. He said: “This visit is part of the university’s commitment to linking theoretical education with practical application and to fostering students’ innovation and leadership skills, thereby helping to prepare business leaders capable of competing in the global economy. The trip embodies our vision of preparing leaders with a global perspective and the ability to drive change in the region and the world, based on our belief that direct exposure to international economic environments enhances the quality of education and aligns its outcomes with the demands of the real world.”
For his part, Prof. Dr. Adel Ismail Al-Alawi, coordinator of the Master of Business Administration program, emphasized the importance of this experience in providing a comprehensive education that combines theoretical knowledge with practical application, and opens up broader horizons for students’ thinking and creativity, noting the university’s commitment to providing international educational opportunities that enhance its graduates’ readiness for the demands of the global job market. He added: “The program’s students serve as ambassadors for the Arabian Gulf University in international forums, and this trip represents an important opportunity to build professional networks and international academic relationships, thereby strengthening the presence of Gulf talent and the region’s standing on the global economic stage.”
He noted that the trip’s daily program included interactive morning lectures delivered by professors from ESSEC Business School, which covered case studies and experiences from global companies, followed by practical field visits to major economic institutions in Paris, which allowed students to connect academic concepts with practical challenges and develop strategic thinking skills and an understanding of international market dynamics.
ESSEC Business School is one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions in the field of management and business education, and the Financial Times has ranked it among the top ten business schools in Europe for 2024. It also holds the prestigious “Triple Crown” accreditation from the international accrediting bodies AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA, which reflects its academic standing and international standards in management education. Students enrolled in the MBA program receive a joint degree issued by Arabian Gulf University and ESSEC Business School, reflecting the program’s international nature and the academic partnership on which it is based.
The academic trip is a central part of the program’s curriculum; during their stay in France, students took three specialized academic modules covering global strategy, facilities management, and corporate ethics and social responsibility, in addition to field visits to leading French companies to learn about international experiences in the fields of management and entrepreneurship. This academic experience underscores Arabian Gulf University’s commitment to developing its educational programs, strengthening their international dimension, and preparing future leaders who possess specialized knowledge, a forward-looking vision, and the ability to keep pace with global economic transformations—in line with its mission to provide quality education whose impact extends from the local level to the global stage.